The Linux PAM system must not grant sole access to admin privileges to the first user who logs into the console.

From Oracle Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide

SV-63003r1_rule The Linux PAM system must not grant sole access to admin privileges to the first user who logs into the console.

Vulnerability discussion

If an unauthorized user has been granted privileged access while logged in at the console, the security posture of a system could be greatly compromised. Additionally, such a situation could deny legitimate root access from another terminal.

Check content

Ensure the pam_console.so module is not configured in any files in /etc/pam.d by: # cd /etc/pam.d # grep pam_console.so * Or # ls -la /etc/security/console.perms If either the pam_console.so entry or the file /etc/security/console.perms is found then this is a finding.

Fix text

Configure PAM to not grant sole access of administrative privileges to the first user logged in at the console. Identify any instances of pam_console. # cd /etc/pam.d # grep pam_console.so * For any files containing an un-commented reference to pam_console.so, edit the file and remove or comment out the reference. Remove the console.perms file if it exists: # rm /etc/security/console.perms

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